Animal litter and animal litter additives are well known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 3,735,734 discloses a mixture of an absorbant soil and an odor-inhibiting additive. The soil is clay or diatomaceous earth and the deodorizing additive is chlorophyl, sodium dihydrogen phosphate, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, potassium acid phthalate, or a combination of these.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,983,842 discloses an animal litter comprised of peanut hulls and sodium bicarbonate as odor suppressor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,009,684 discloses an animal litter comprised of a loose substrate treated with a solid water-soluble copolymer. A fragrance or deodorizer was added.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,203,388 discloses an animal litter prepared by dewatering rejects of a secondary fiber plant incorporating an odor suppressor such as sodium bicarbonate. The rejects are pelletized and dried to form the litter.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,482 discloses a solid absorbant material having absorbed thereto a halogenated aromatic hydrocarbon bacteriostat to retard the development of urine odors.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,368 discloses a particulate, water- and oil-absorbing composition containing absorbent fillers, earth clay particles and absorbent synthetic particles, e.g. calcium sulfate dihydrate-containing granules.
Oftentimes, habit alone is not sufficient to attract an animal seeking a place to defecate and/or urinate to a particular location in which the animal litter is situated. One disadvantage of the patents hereinabove is that the animal litter disclosed and the additives thereto do not attract the animal to this particular location. Another disadvantage is that litter materials mixed with additives are difficult to handle, especially in the presence of urine and feces.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,286,691 and 4,263,873 disclose animal litter containing material that attracts the animal to the litter. More particularly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,286,691 discloses litter comprised of a particulate, compressed, chlorophyl-containing grass material that readily absorbs liquids. Although the patent alleges that the material has its own natural odor which is an attraction to animals, that material is not specifically described or claimed. Therefore, it is unclear as to what material acts as the attractant to the animal.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,263,873 discloses an animal litter comprised of a cellulose litter material that contains a pheromonelike attractant substance to attract the animal seeking a place to defecate and/or urinate.
Although the latter patents disclose the use of an attractant, none of those patents disclose the use of rosin oil as such an attractant. Furthermore, none of the prior art patents disclose the use of rosin oil as an attractant together with a calcined or a partially calcined sorbitive clay mineral material or a mixture of materials containing sorbitive clay mineral material capable of absorbing the urine and of retarding the decomposition thereof to noxious substances for several days.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following description.